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Speaker 1: I asked just a little while ago, have you had

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Speaker 1: your COVID vaccine yet? Because since the roll out launched

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Speaker 1: in February, there have been one hundred and three thousand,

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Speaker 1: one hundred and seventy six doses recorded and more than

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Speaker 1: thirty one thousand Territorians are now fully vaccinated against COVID.

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Speaker 1: Nineteen now joining me on the line to talk more

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Speaker 1: about the vaccine rollout and the opening of the vaccine hub,

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Speaker 1: the Health Minister, Natasha Files.

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Speaker 2: Good morning, Good morning, Katie, Good morning.

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Speaker 1: Was it now?

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Speaker 3: Minister?

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Speaker 1: Firstly, how are we looking when it comes to those

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Speaker 1: COVID numbers? Was there anything new from overnight?

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Speaker 2: No, Katie, there hasn't been any COVID cases in the

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Speaker 2: Northern Territory in the last twenty four hours. I think

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Speaker 2: we're sitting at eleven cases in the territory with seventeen

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Speaker 2: from that pan of my cluster.

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Speaker 1: Well, that is good to hear, and I'm sure music

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Speaker 1: to the ears of a lot of Territorians who are

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Speaker 1: still wondering about these restrictions. I do want to ask, though,

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Speaker 1: when it comes to those test results, are they all

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Speaker 1: back now and are we looking as though we're pretty

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Speaker 1: safe in terms of moving forward to.

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Speaker 2: Katie, there's been over fourteen hundred tests conducted in the

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Speaker 2: last twenty four hours and a huge twenty two thousand,

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Speaker 2: eight hundred tests completed in the last week. All of

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Speaker 2: those tests of people outstanding to date have been negative.

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Speaker 2: For my understanding that all those results from the bus

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Speaker 2: club and the Stuart Park ida have returned negative tests.

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Speaker 1: So did you say twenty two thousand, eight hundred tests in.

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Speaker 2: The last week, Katie. And in the territory, you know,

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Speaker 2: since COVID began, there's been over two hundred and sixty

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Speaker 2: two thousand tests completed overall. But yes, that figure of

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Speaker 2: twenty two thousand, eight hundred in the last week. We

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Speaker 2: certainly saw territorians, you know, reach out to be tested

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Speaker 2: and we appreciate their patients, and you know, think that

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Speaker 2: people can see through those numbers and the negative test

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Speaker 2: result that you know, both the lockdown and the testing

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Speaker 2: is so important and getting on top of this virus.

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Speaker 1: What about the waste water with our wastewater, how are

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Speaker 1: those tests looking. Have we found any COVID or have

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Speaker 1: we had any COVID detected in any of that wastewater testing.

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Speaker 2: Katie, I haven't seen the wastewater testing for the last

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Speaker 2: twenty four hours. But when I was briefed yesterday, all

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Speaker 2: of the wastewater testing was negative where you would expect

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Speaker 2: it to be, except for our Stove Road in Howard Springs,

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Speaker 2: which is clearly the quarantine facility, and Royal darrel In Hospital.

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Speaker 2: I believe there were some traces there, but we've been

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Speaker 2: providing care for people with COVID in the hospitals that

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Speaker 2: you would expect that. Alice Springs wastewater testing has still

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Speaker 2: been negative as well.

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Speaker 3: So sorry, just repeat that.

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Speaker 1: So out at Howard Springs and also at Royal dal

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Speaker 1: And Hospital, around those areas there had been some COVID detected.

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Speaker 2: Correct. The two catchments that we know that those facilities

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Speaker 2: feed into had picked up some particles, but everywhere else

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Speaker 2: in the territory was clear.

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Speaker 1: And with that wastewater, that is what you would have expected,

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Speaker 1: given the fact that, as you said, obviously, out at

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Speaker 1: Howard Springs we know that there's cases out there, and

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Speaker 1: I'm assuming that at Royal dal And Hospital there's people

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Speaker 1: being cared for.

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Speaker 2: Correct, Katie. And so this is why we you know,

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Speaker 2: sort of all the way along there's been questions around

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Speaker 2: the world what is testing that it's a tool to

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Speaker 2: help us when we know that we've had the virus

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Speaker 2: potentially present in our community, and so it just reinforces

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Speaker 2: all these test results and again this waste. What are

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Speaker 2: testing reinforces that we don't have community transmission, but we

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Speaker 2: must still remain vigilant.

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Speaker 1: All right now, Minister, the vaccine rollout is forging ahead

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Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory, more than one hundred thousand dos.

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Speaker 1: It's recorded sixteen point four percent of Territorians now fully vaccinated,

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Speaker 1: compared to the national average of eight point four percent.

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Speaker 1: Why do you reckon we're ahead of the rest of

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Speaker 1: the nation at this point, Helly, I haven't.

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Speaker 2: Stopped to think about that, you know, in terms of

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Speaker 2: comparing to other jurisdictions. We've just been focused on the

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Speaker 2: task at hand, which is a program in both urban

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Speaker 2: and remote areas. And it's important too for people to

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Speaker 2: understand that the remote program is progressing very well. Thirty

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Speaker 2: two percent of territories to have a remote address in

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Speaker 2: our health database have also been vaccinated, so we certainly

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Speaker 2: have seen territorians rolling up their sleeves and as a

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Speaker 2: government and the Aboriginal medical organizations, we're responding by providing

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Speaker 2: that strongnation program.

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Speaker 1: We know though there are still so many people who

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Speaker 1: are trying to book at this point in time. I've

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Speaker 1: had a lot of people get in contact with me

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Speaker 1: saying I want to get the vaccine, but every time

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Speaker 1: I jump online to book, there's no appointments available. Is

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Speaker 1: there going to be more appointments come online?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, Katie. In the next couple of weeks, We've got

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Speaker 2: seven additional GP locations who are going to come online

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Speaker 2: to administer the vaccine. In July. We are opening the

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Speaker 2: vaccination center at Morara tomorrow, so we'll be closing down

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Speaker 2: rozo On Hospital to the public and we'll be pivoting

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Speaker 2: to the new vaccination center at Marara, and as additional

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Speaker 2: vaccine becomes available, we'll put more appointments online. We did

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Speaker 2: put up nearly two thousand appointments last week and they

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Speaker 2: were snapped up fairly quickly. Additionally, we had those people

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Speaker 2: in the age fifty to fifty nine that were booked

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Speaker 2: for AstraZeneca, we rebooked them for five because they were

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Speaker 2: caught up in that at HAWG. The advice that changed,

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Speaker 2: So we do ask people to just be patient. There

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Speaker 2: is more vaccine coming and I'm working with the Department

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Speaker 2: of Health to make sure that there's more appointmentsarticularly for Darwin,

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Speaker 2: Urban and Catherine. Understand that there's availability in other areas

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Speaker 2: in the territory, but focusing on Darwin and Catherine.

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Speaker 1: Right, So we've got enough or it's not as if

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Speaker 1: we're not getting enough vaccine at this point from the

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Speaker 1: federal government. It's more that we're just trying to get

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Speaker 1: through all those vaccinations that have been booked in.

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Speaker 2: So Katie, we're working closely with the Commonwealth. There's only

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Speaker 2: a certain amount of vaccine coming into the country. The

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Speaker 2: common moth are providing that to the states and territories.

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Speaker 2: Once we have our allocation confirmed, we're able to put

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Speaker 2: bookings into the system. And by opening up this new

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Speaker 2: hub at Marra, we're expecting from the Commonwealth increased supplies,

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Speaker 2: particularly through July, August and October, so we'll be able

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Speaker 2: to match the increased supply with availability of appointments.

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Speaker 1: All right, Minister, We've got quite a few listener questions

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Speaker 1: that are coming through. There's one here that this one

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Speaker 1: actually came through yesterday. Masks on construction sites.

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Speaker 3: Are they needed?

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, the same rule applies in terms of mass.

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Speaker 2: If you cannot physical distance of that one and a

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Speaker 2: half meters, you need to wear a mask. So it

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Speaker 2: might just depend on the construction site in terms of

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Speaker 2: you know, if they're in close proximity doing some tiling

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Speaker 2: or some indoor work, that they will need to wear

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Speaker 2: that mark. But if they're outside perhaps and there's the

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Speaker 2: physical distance between them, then the same rule applies that

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Speaker 2: if you can maintain that one and a half meters,

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Speaker 2: you don't need to wear a mask. So it's the

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Speaker 2: same rule as in the community as it is on

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Speaker 2: a construction site.

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Speaker 3: All right. Another one here at Crack a Knight. When's

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Speaker 3: it happening?

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Speaker 2: The Chief Ministry, I know territory and is a key

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Speaker 2: to know when they're going to be able to have

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Speaker 2: crack a Nite and he's working on making announcement around that.

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Speaker 3: All right.

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Speaker 1: One here on the NT website it says businesses can

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Speaker 1: still still do manual signing.

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Speaker 3: Is that still applicable?

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Speaker 2: So Katie, with the QR check in code the app

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Speaker 2: it is obviously faster and more convenient for people, But yes,

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Speaker 2: businesses can still have a manual lob. There's some people

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Speaker 2: that might not have a phone on them for various reasons.

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Speaker 2: They might want to use a manual check in, so

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Speaker 2: they can do that.

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Speaker 1: Okay, Jim's definitely closed because the listener has alluded us

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Speaker 1: to one being opened at this point in time.

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Speaker 2: So Katie, my understanding is that Jim's fell into that

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Speaker 2: category where they couldn't be opened. So someone does believe

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Speaker 2: that something's not quite right, they should reach out to

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Speaker 2: one three one TRIPUL four, which is a non emergency

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Speaker 2: police number. Police are doing that enforcement, or they can

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Speaker 2: reach out to the COVID Lotlink COVID hotline sorry and

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Speaker 2: provide that information.

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Speaker 1: Now, are we on track to lift these restrictions on Friday?

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Speaker 2: So things are certainly looking very promising, but we mustn't

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Speaker 2: become complacent over the next few days. So we need

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Speaker 2: people to make sure they're wearing those masks. If you're

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Speaker 2: not feeling well at all, reach out to get tested.

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Speaker 2: There's plenty of testing capability available this week. So things

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Speaker 2: are looking good and the Chief Minister and myself will

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Speaker 2: talk to our health officials over the coming days ahead

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Speaker 2: of that expected list down a lotning us their restrictions.

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Speaker 1: So what about Alice Springs, When are they two to

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Speaker 1: come out of those restrictions.

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Speaker 2: Is Katie that the same on Friday one pm will

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Speaker 2: assess both the top end in Central Australia.

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Speaker 1: Okay, so we will do both on Friday. It'll be

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Speaker 1: Allie Springs and also Darwin. If all goes well, it's

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Speaker 1: looking like one pm Friday those restrictions could be lifted.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Katie. We just need it to make sure with

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Speaker 2: our health officials that it is safe to do so

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Speaker 2: that we're not putting ourselves in unnecessary risk. That we

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Speaker 2: make sure that you know, we did the hard yards

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Speaker 2: last week with that complete lockdown people, have you know

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Speaker 2: those measures in place this week of mass and gatherings

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Speaker 2: that private residents is being limited, et cetera. We just

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Speaker 2: need to make sure it's safe to list those restrictions, all.

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Speaker 3: Right, Minister.

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Speaker 1: I do want to ask you a couple of questions

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Speaker 1: about the IICAC report. We know the IKAK reporting to

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Speaker 1: the twelve fillion dollar grant for the grand Stand continues

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Speaker 1: to raise concerns. Bret Dixon's legal team wrote to the

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Speaker 1: Chief Minister Michael Gunner last week saying that his former

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Speaker 1: chief of staff actively encouraged the application for the twelve

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Speaker 1: billion dollar NT government grant for the construction of that

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Speaker 1: grand stand because it was enthusiastically supported by mister Gunner personally.

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Speaker 1: Did the Chief Minister push for this to happen amongst

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Speaker 1: the cabinet because he wanted a good news story for

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Speaker 1: his electorate.

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Speaker 2: Okay, that would be a question for the Chief Minister,

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Speaker 2: but that's not my understanding. That the capitol grant was

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Speaker 2: awarded to the Dulin Turf Club as an infrastructure project.

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Speaker 2: It was considered by cabinet as a results of under

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Speaker 2: allocation in the twenty eighteen nineteen Capital Works program. It's

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Speaker 2: important to note the ARCAC made no findings against the

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Speaker 2: government and we acknowledged at the time nearly two years

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Speaker 2: ago that the process did not meet the expectations that

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Speaker 2: the public had of us. So I think that, you know,

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Speaker 2: this was a project that did add you know, it

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Speaker 2: was an infrastructure project for the community, and the rcacs

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Speaker 2: made their findings around the processes. You know that that

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Speaker 2: happened under you.

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Speaker 1: Are the Minister for Racing. I mean, was there a

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Speaker 1: push from the Chief Minister or his staff, the staff

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Speaker 1: in his office for this project to go ahead?

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Speaker 2: My point of view, it was a capitol grant awarded

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Speaker 2: to the Turf Club for an infrastructure projects. I believe,

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Speaker 2: as the Minister for Racing added value to the Turf

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Speaker 2: Club and to the Darwin community, and we need to

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Speaker 2: look at the economic return that racing does bring and

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Speaker 2: in terms of visitation etc. The processes around that. The

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Speaker 2: IKAC has made recommendations and Cabinet has provided in principal

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Speaker 2: support for all eighteen of those recommendations. Some are already

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Speaker 2: being implemented. So the government has also said that we

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Speaker 2: don't believe that the processes that the Turf Club put

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Speaker 2: in place were acceptable and we will recover the twelve

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Speaker 2: million dollars from the Darwin Turf Club.

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Speaker 1: I mean at this point in time though a lot

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Speaker 1: of people don't really know whether the processes that were

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Speaker 1: in place from the cabinets perspective were correct or were

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Speaker 1: appropriate ones. So either because those Cabinet documents and the

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Speaker 1: IKAK didn't have the ability to look into that.

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Speaker 2: So kdie A capitol grant was awarded to the Turf Club,

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Speaker 2: you know as one of a number of infrastructure projects.

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Speaker 2: But in terms of the undeclared conflicts of interest when

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Speaker 2: they are exposed, the government has thought to recover those

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Speaker 2: public funds. I mean we were lied to as a government.

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Speaker 2: We initially did when the tender went out have concerns.

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Speaker 2: The Department of Business went in and asked questions and

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Speaker 2: we have since seen the ikak you have far more

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Speaker 2: invested in its power go in look into this matter

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Speaker 2: and find that there was underclared conflicts of interests exposed

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Speaker 2: and so that's why the government is seeking to get

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Speaker 2: those public funds up.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, but I guess the thing is here, you know,

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Speaker 1: I asked the Deputy Chief Minister this yesterday as well.

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Speaker 1: I mean, the report states that al f Leonardi was

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Speaker 1: discussing this proposal with the turf Club chair over a.

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Speaker 3: Number of years.

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Speaker 1: And there is still I think a cloud over the

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Speaker 1: fact that, you know, the Chief Minister saying that there's

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Speaker 1: things that he didn't know that his chief of staff

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Speaker 1: was doing. But taking into account how you run your office,

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Speaker 1: do you really think that people believe that the Chief

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Speaker 1: Minister had no knowledge whatsoever of what was going on

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Speaker 1: behind the scenes.

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Speaker 2: So, Katie, the Ikas made no findings against the government

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Speaker 2: or any minute and so I think that people need

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Speaker 2: to understand that there has been a thorough investigation by

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Speaker 2: the IKAK, something that was established by this labor government

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Speaker 2: to have the powers to go in. As I just

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Speaker 2: pointed to, we asked questions, the Department of Business asked

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Speaker 2: questions a couple of years ago and were lied to.

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Speaker 2: The IKAK has the powers to go further than that,

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Speaker 2: and that was proved in this case. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: But again the point here is that you know, the

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Speaker 1: ikak's not able to go into that decision making process

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Speaker 1: by the cabinet. Now the CLP says that the Chief

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Speaker 1: Minister needs to clear the air and release all the

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Speaker 1: cabinet documents upon which the ministers decided to grant that

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Speaker 1: twelve million dollars to the Darwin Turf Club. Why don't

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Speaker 1: the government just do this and clear the air, So, Katie, the.

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Speaker 2: IKAK has had a thorough investigation. They made no findings

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Speaker 2: against the government or any minister. It was a capital

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Speaker 2: grant awarded to the Turf Club for an infrastructure project,

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Speaker 2: which is not unusual towards the end of financial year

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Speaker 2: to see capital grants the infrastructure projects. And we've seen

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Speaker 2: a thorough investigation from the IKAK, something that a labor

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Speaker 2: government established. So that unfortunately, when we do have situations

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Speaker 2: like these. Territorians can know the truth, but there was

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Speaker 2: no findings against any government minister.

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Speaker 1: You are the Minister for Racing. Are you going to

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Speaker 1: be attending the Cup Carnival?

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Speaker 2: So, Kennie, it's a difficult period right now. The Darlin

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Speaker 2: Turf Club board needs to resign and I see that

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Speaker 2: a number of those members have done. Though. We need

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Speaker 2: to make sure that all of this is you know,

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Speaker 2: that the public funds are repaid, that we have structures

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Speaker 2: within the associations that to know that we can have

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Speaker 2: confidence in the Darlin Turf Club in the ways of

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Speaker 2: these findings. So A'll await to see those actions before

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Speaker 2: I make a decision on what Cup events I attend.

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Speaker 1: Obviously, you know, like you've said, they are going to

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Speaker 1: be having to pay that money back if they have

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Speaker 1: to pay that money back, which which I think a

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Speaker 1: lot of Territorians believe that they should have to do.

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Speaker 1: But they are going to have to pay that money back. Understandably,

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Speaker 1: that's going to have a big impact on their operational

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Speaker 1: costs over the next few years. Do you think that

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Speaker 1: it's going to cause some difficulties in terms of delivering

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Speaker 1: a Cup carnival that's to the same standard as what

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Speaker 1: we've seen.

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Speaker 2: So what we needed we need the Doe and Turf

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Speaker 2: Club board to resign. That's the first step in showing

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Speaker 2: that they genuinely want to you know, racing. I know

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Speaker 2: that there's many people involved in racing that are good people,

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Speaker 2: horse owners, jockeys, people that attend the Cup Carnival regularly.

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Speaker 2: We need to have confidence that that whole system that

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Speaker 2: is lied to government and that has you know, covered

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Speaker 2: things up from government, that there is changes there. So

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Speaker 2: that's the first step that we're looking towards is the

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Speaker 2: resignation of the Turf Club board. We've said that they

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Speaker 2: need to repay that twelve million dollars. We haven't ruled

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Speaker 2: out commencing civil action to get that, but it will

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Speaker 2: be a difficult space. But the first step is for

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Speaker 2: the Turf Club board to resign.

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Speaker 1: Well, my understanding now is that the members did do

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Speaker 1: that vote, so yesterday would obviously report it on the

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Speaker 1: fact that that the members have decided. So over the weekend,

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Speaker 1: the Dough and Turf Club have said that they're set

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Speaker 1: to find a new board after the members called for

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Speaker 1: the opportunity to select new represent its following that release

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Speaker 1: of the report. So as my understanding is that that

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Speaker 1: is going to be happening that obviously that process is

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Speaker 1: now underway.

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Speaker 2: So Katie, we need to see for the full resignation

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Speaker 2: of the board of the Darlin Turf Club as the

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Speaker 2: first step in the right direction.

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Speaker 1: And so if the board, if all of that board

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Speaker 1: resigns and they're on the path to a new way forward,

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Speaker 1: you will attend the Cup Carnival.

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Speaker 2: Oh Katie, I think that you know right now we

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Speaker 2: haven't seen the full resignation. So I'd like to see

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Speaker 2: the full resignation and I'd like to see a genuine

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Speaker 2: approach from a turf club to rectify what has happened

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Speaker 2: before I commit to attending any turf club event.

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Speaker 1: All right, Health Minister Natasha Files, also Minister for Racing

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Speaker 1: and also Minister for Tourism, we are going to have

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Speaker 1: to leave it there.

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Speaker 3: Thank you for your time today.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Katie.

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Speaker 3: That is the Health Minister there, Natasha Philes